


Pandora's Box

by Lotus87



Series: Pandora's Box [1]
Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Original Character(s), non-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 21:19:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12093645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotus87/pseuds/Lotus87
Summary: Legends can be good or bad. And when the Alliance runs out of heroes during the fight against the Reapers, the hopes of still winning the war are resting on the anti-heroes.Such soldiers whose motto is "victory at all costs". Soldiers like Vixen Doe, the Butcher of Torfan. But will unconditional will to win and cold-bloodedness be enough to defeat such an overpowering opponent?And will the Alliance be able to control what they unleashed out of Pandora's Box?





	Pandora's Box

"That's not a good idea, that's not a good idea at all... We should go back to the lab, we should..."

 

"Stop whining Andrej!" Dr. Petersen rebuked his lamenting assistant and cast a scowl over his shoulder. The man was a whiner and even worse, a scientist without any real ambitions or even visions!

 

He himself had both and in addition he was not afraid of setbacks. Unfortunately, scientists who thought this way were rare these days... And so, after the annoying outcome of the BAaT program, unfortunately Andrej was the only one left at his side to continue working on improving human biotics. Or at least to work on it with all necessary means. The other researchers had ducked their heads in like scolded children, had either stopped their work altogether or had switched to institutions whose approach was "ethically impeccable".

 

Pah, what a joke! Had Louis Pasteur's successes been demonized because he had tested his rabies vaccine on a young boy? Had the car been banned because the fuel developed by Thomas Midgley had some annoying side effects? No, progress had been celebrated and humanity had risen step by step with its successes!

 

This kind of visionary thinking was what drove him. And that's why he just ruined his shoes in the mud of a slum, while he and his whining assistant followed a hired petty criminal through the winding alleys and almost melted under the scorching sun of South Africa.

He didn't want to think too much about what this filth was made up of, it hadn't rained here for months, and so he couldn't prevent his face from warping in disgust.

 

Petersen could see the snide grin on their "guides" face from the corner of his eye, but he ignored it deliberately. He didn't care what Jeb thought of them, if that even was his real name. His job was to guide them safely through this shithole and keep the local gangs off their backs. So far, he had fulfilled this task to their satisfaction and hopefully it would remain so. Nevertheless, Petersen got the feeling that he was going to lure them into a trap the deeper they entered the slum.

 

"How far along is it?" he asked, trying not to let his concern show.

 

"What's the matter, professor, is it getting too exhausting for you? Or are you afraid that I might set you up in a trap?" Jeb asked, before letting out a really unpleasant laugh. "Relax, I want the rest of my pay too. And we're almost there."

 

Petersen spared himself the trouble of pointing out that he was not a "professor" and took a deep breath instead. Which he immediately regretted considering the stink in this place. All in the name of progress he intoned in silence. All in the name of progress.....

 

“This way!" Jeb gave them a wave to indicate that they should follow him as he forced himself through a narrow passageway leading into something that, with much good will, could be called a backyard. And there was finally the reason for their being here.

 

Petersen returned the glancing look that the woman in front of them threw at him while she was pulling on a cigarette.

No, the girl he corrected, she was probably younger than she seemed. Sixteen, maybe seventeen years in age?

He didn't know exactly what he was expecting, but she didn't correspond to any of the imaginations he had. She wore a vest that left her sinewy arms uncovered, worn jeans and boots that looked sturdy enough to kick someone's skull in, even though her small, slightly skinny figure didn't seem to have the physical strength for something like that. But what stood out most about her were her snow-white hair and the piercing gaze.

 

"What the fuck, Jeb? You promised me a great deal, and now you're bringing in two candy-asses? They don't look like you can squeeze out a lot for them anywhere..." she growled as she blew out a cloud of smoke and stared at the two scientists further out of steel-grey eyes.

 

Petersen continued to inspect her with great interest and unimpressed by her behaviour. If the hair colour was caused by albinism? No, even though her skin was unusually pale, especially for this climate, the thick black eyebrows and the colour of her eyes spoke against it. A pronounced form of vitiligo, perhaps...

 

"Chill out Ghost Fox." Jeb commented and raised his hands as if to calm her down with the gesture. "I'm just the footboy, the gentlemen are the ones who want to make you an offer." He stepped back a few steps as if to let Dr. Petersen take the lead. Either that or he simply tried to get out of the danger zone…

 

 

He had no doubt noticed, just like the doctor, that the air around their interlocutor seemed to be slightly flickering and her eyes appeared to be glowing blue, which made the name "Ghost Fox" seem rather fitting. So they hadn't come here for nothing, the girl was indeed a biotic. A little old for their purposes, but that was the lot of science. You had to work with the unfavourable circumstances you were confronted with.

 

 

The girl took another puff from her cigarette, took a look at the almost smoked-up stub and flicked it into the dirt before she looked at Dr. Petersen again.

“Then start talking, I don't like wasting my time," snorted the “Ghost Fox" as Jeb had called her, while she pulled a crumpled box from her trousers, took out another cigarette and a lighter and lit it up before the box went back into her pants.

 

 

"Well, Miss..." Petersen took a short break, but "Miss" didn't seem to see any reason to give him a name. She just kept looking at him with that piercing glare as she puffed at her cigarette.

Alright, he would be able to cope with that, too.

" I am Doctor Petersen and this is my assistant Andrej, we are scientists. We research the human biotic. The abilities of which you have no doubt already noticed to possess them as well. We want to study these abilities and for this we need the participation of biotics. Like you."

 

 

The girl seemed to be thinking about what he had said while she slowly exhaled a waft of smoke. "Sounds lovely. What's in it for me?"

 

 

Of course... He had hardly expected that a street kid would be interested in the progress of human civilization in any way, let alone want to make a contribution to it without ulterior motives. But he had also considered that.

 

“The skills you can use at the moment are uncontrolled, you can only use a fraction of your resources. In the course of our research, we would like to install you an implant that canalizes your biotics and makes them usable to a completely new degree. You can learn to guide them to move objects of several tons of weight, you can create shields, shock waves... and we are just at the beginning of our research, there can be so many more possibilities!"

 

Petersen had really talked himself into a frenzy, he was almost glowing with thirst for action. It was this euphoria for the research that Andrej had always admired so much about his superior and why he still stood loyal to him. But despite all the euphoria about having found another potential research object.... he could not help it, this woman's gaze send an ice-cold shiver down his spine.....

 

 

The girl's gaze turned from the scientists to Jeb, who waited in the background, his arms crossed above his chest.

 

"And what's in it for you?" she asked with a short nod and the thug grinned broadly. "A pretty nice commission." he replyed.

 

She nodded again, seemed to think briefly and then looked back at the doctor. "I'll get twice as much as he does, and we have a deal."

 

 

Dr. Petersen didn't seem happy to squander their already tight research budget, but he hesitated only for a moment before he also nodded. "Agreed."

 

"Well, wonderful, then let's go." With a pleased smile she got up, flipped off the second smoked cigarette and followed Jeb out of the alley, with Petersen and Andrei hurrying to follow them.

 

 

The way back seemed to be much shorter, now that they knew how long it was, and both scientists took the opportunity to take a closer look at their surroundings this time. Both of them repeatedly noticed people who looked curiously at them, but then hurriedly scurried away. But neither Jeb nor their still nameless probationer seemed to be worried about it in any way.

However, Dr. Petersen and Andrei could not deny that they were beyond relieved when they finally managed to get out of the winding alleys and into their car before they paid Jeb out. The thug had fulfilled his task and both scientists were happy to get rid of him.

 

 

After the unpleasant hike, the way to their temporary laboratory in one of the outskirts of the city seemed like only a stone's throw away and Andrej breathed a sigh of relief as he steered the car into the garage. His boss, on the other hand, seemed restless. He was so full of work zeal , he couldn't get out of the car fast enough.

Their companion, on the other hand, seemed... almost impassive. No, that was the wrong word, but Andrej couldn't really put a finger on it. She didn't seem nervous or worried, not even excited. She looked around calmly but attentively as she followed Dr. Petersen into the research area.

 

 

The surgical area they had set up in the back of the building was probably barely meeting the minimum requirements in a provisional field hospital. But as the doctor liked to say, you have to play the hand you’re dealt.

But even this makeshift operating room didn't seem to worry her. Maybe she hid her concern, but she also hid it well. As a street kid, the girl was probably used to have to demonstrate strength at all times in order not to appear as an easy target.

 

Dr. Petersen already walked through the room with long strides and threw his gown over, as he switched on various devices. “Good good, best we start directly. As already mentioned, we will insert an implant into your neck, which, simply put, bundles your biotic forces and makes them usable. Andrej, prepare the surgical instruments and anesthesia!”

 

Andrei looked uncertainly at his superior. "Doctor..." he said quietly. "Shouldn't we at least tell her about the risks..."

 

“Fiddlesticks!” Petersen harshly interrupted his assistant. “Why don't you look at that girl? As soon as I wave some cash she doesn't care about the risks, even if I waste time explaining them to her! Now do your job!”

 

 

Andrej nodded, although he was not comfortable hiding the possible risks from the young woman. The operation itself was already critical, not to mention the fact that the new implant they had developed had hardly been tested so far. It was more than questionable whether or not they had been able to eradicate the errors of the L2 series by now, but to be sure of that, these new implants had to be tried out of course.

 

As he turned around to perform his tasks, his gaze crossed with that of the girl. She still had this piercing look which made his neck instantly tingling again.... He could have sworn to recognize a spark of anger in it, but the doctor drew her attention to himself and Andrej lost eye contact before he could be sure.

 

 

"Well, Miss... Ghost Fox? You don't really have another name, it seems a little inconvenient to me."

 

"If Ghost Fox is too long, it's Vixen." she replied with a shrug.

 

Peterson's lips curled up in amusement. Vixen instead of Ghost Fox, how... original.

"Well, Miss Vixen, please take off your vest and lie face down on the operating table," he instructed his probationer.

 

She followed his request and threw the vest onto a chair, without any sign of shame or embarrassment, even though she wore nothing else under it. While Andrei shamefully turned away his gaze, What a scientist!, Petersen took the opportunity to assess the physical condition of his new research subject.

 

She was skinnier than he had suspected under the vest, the pointy, barely developed breasts did not do much to distract from the well visible ribs, let alone the numerous bruises and scars. Her malnutrition was unpleasant, thus she would lack the necessary energy to fully exploit her biotics, but it also had the pleasant side effect that her puberty had obviously been delayed.

 

The time of transplantation had always been crucial to the effectiveness of the implants. An implant inserted before or as early as possible during puberty was integrated into the brain during its restructuring and was able to connect with the nervous system much better than those inserted after puberty. So hopefully they would still be able to achieve a good result, given her level of development.

 

If Vixen misinterpreted his examination as sexual interest, she seemed at least not to mind it while lying down on the operating table. While Dr. Petersen was still disinfecting his hands and putting on gloves, Andrej placed a tray with surgical instruments and the implant next to the table.

 

"Just relax," the doctor said, addressing Vixen, while Andrej put the respiratory mask on her and initiated the anesthesia. He could hardly wait to get to work while she slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

 

____________________________________________

 

Vixen had no idea how long she had been out when she slowly woke up again. She felt as if she was wrapped in cotton wool and it took a while before the pain was noticeable, although only faintly.

 

Carefully sitting up she touched her throat. It was tightly bandaged and she hissed silently as she moved a hand across her neck. The wound felt strange, like something was stuck in it.

 

"The implant, I guess."

 

The feeling was not exactly pleasant, but also nothing she couldn't get used to. As long as it kept the promises that these scientists had made to her. She wanted to test her biotics, these new forces that this implant was supposed to bring to her, but she still felt so hazy... yet she tried to use her biotics to carry out this kind of "control" that these men had promised her. She tried to lift a glass container at the other end of the room, but nothing happened.

 

"Ah, I see you've woken up,"

 

Vixen sat up as Dr. Petersen and his appendix entered the room.

While the assistant tipped eagerly on a data pad, Petersen examined her with satisfaction.

The complacency the doctor exuded like a foul smell annoyed Vixen.

But she was even more annoyed by the fact that the promised control over her abilities had not been realised.

 

"You said I could control my powers now," the woman growled while she got out of bed. Only casually she realized that her upper body was now in a wide white shirt and she was barefoot.

 

"I said the implant would allow you to gain control of your abilities." Petersen corrected her. "Of course, this doesn't just happen with a snap of the finger. But don't worry, in the course of our studies you will learn how to use different techniques. And now lie down again, your circulation still needs to get used to the new flow of energy."

 

Vixen didn't even think about following his request and she could see how he frowned angrily about it. "That's not the way I imagined it... And besides, you still owe me my money." she growled and walked up and down in front of them.

 

"You'll get your money - after our tests have been completed," Petersen replied with increasing anger. "And now lie down again!"

 

"I'm getting my money now. And shit on the tests,"Vixen countered and returned the scientist's dark gaze.

She did not miss it at all as his little sycophant tried to circle her and drawed something out of his pocket. A syringe!

She held her gaze further on Petersen, she was experienced in keeping an eye out of the corners of her eyes on people who wanted to fall in her back, and waited.

It was almost too easy. The guy obviously wasn't very skilled in sneaking up on someone. Vixen had let him come close to her almost up to arm length before she swirled around and unleashed her biotics with an energetic gesture of her hand.

 

Except her biotics didn't emanate from her this time as usual in an uncontrolled flare.

Instead, the man was caught by a bundled shockwave and hurled against the wall. Vixen was puzzled for a moment when he sank to the ground and lay motionlessly there. This effect she would never have expected in her life... and she loved it!

 

Behind the Biotic, Dr. Petersen cussed suppressed. He should have taken Andrej's warnings about the uncontrollability of a tramp like her more seriously.... He rushed to a laboratory table with some scalpels on top of other utensils and reached for one of the razor-sharp blades. She was not yet used to using her new abilities and would probably need a few moments to unleash another attack. During this time he could... Petersen froze, the scalpel in his hand as he turned back to her.

 

 

Vixen hadn't moved a single step, just turned around her own axis to look at him directly. She just stood there, completely relaxed and with a wolfish grin on her face. She didn't miss the knife in his hand, but she didn't see it as a threat. When the doctor raised the blade threateningly in her direction she just laughed up with amusement.

So he wanted to play. Well, that was just fine with her.

 

Vixen leisurely left her position and circled around the scientist in a wide arc, intending to cut off his way through the door while he tried to keep her in check with the raised scalpel.

Vixen's hunting instinct was awakened and she was curious to see if she could produce more of these biotic attacks. Her hand flew up high and the energy shock caused a cabinet behind Petersen to bounce up into the air and crash into the ground, clattering. The man jumped to the side like a frightened gazelle and looked at her with eyes the size of a plate. Oh, she would definitely have a lot of fun with him.

 

 

The two of them circled each other like huntress and prey. If she had wanted it, the doctor would have been already as dead as his assistant, but perhaps he was still useful for her alive. She might try to squeeze some more information out of him. A few bank accounts perhaps or more information about this implant and how she could make the best use of it....

 

 

Time and again, she chased the increasingly frightened scientist through the office with small feints and biotic attacks and pushed him further and further towards the wall. As much as she enjoyed the little hunt, sooner or later the cat got tired of playing with the mouse.

She just drove the scientist against a flipped cupboard as her leg got caught in something.

 

 

Vixen looked surprised at the floor, down at Andrej, who clutched her leg with both arms.

The little wretch was still alive?

It was just a short distraction, but it was enough for Vixen to notice the approaching scalpel a little too late.

 

She knocked Petersen's arm to the side and so prevented him from slitting her throat. But instead of running into nothing, the sharp blade ran across her face and cut her left eye. Vixen screamed, more out of anger than pain, and unleashed another shockwave.

 

The effect was by far not as impressive as she had hoped. Instead of a concentrated attack, she released the energy only uncontrolled. The scientist was not thrown against the wall, as she had managed to do with Andrej, but instead slithered relatively harmlessly over the floor.

 

 

Vixen gave the assistant, who was still clinging to her leg, an angry kick before she followed Dr. Petersen. The scientist had dropped the scalpel due to her biotic blow and just started to get up again, his gaze fluttered panicily over the ground in search of the scalpel.

He discovered it and poked forward, but Vixen was faster. Just as he was about to close his hand around the metal handle, her knee crashed on his wrist and he cried out in agony.

 

 

"Tseseses. Is that a way to deal with your patients, doctor?"

 

Vixen took the scalpel with a smile and turned it slowly in her hand. It was hard to believe that the woman had the blood running over her face as relaxed as she appeared. Petersen was aware that her pain sensation was very limited at the moment due to the medication she was given, but still. He had cut her eye in half, and she acted like it was nothing!

 

 

The doctor tried to get his hand free, but Vixen just shifted her weight a little and increased the pressure on his wrist even more.

"A pretty sharp knife." She stated matter-of-factly. "But such a tiny blade... and the handle lays awful in the hand. How easily such a thing slips.” With an almost casual movement, she placed the blade on his temple and pulled it in an arch down to his chin. The cut was not deep, but painful enough for the doctor to cry out.

 

Vixen grinned with satisfaction and turned the scalpel in her hand. "Very well, I think we have now clarified our positions. So let's get back to the beginning of this conversation. My payment. You probably don't have the credits just lying around here being the smart men that you are. So what is it then? Safe? Bank accounts? I'd rather have cash, but I would take the bank details, too."

 

Almost playfully she let the scalpel wander over his neck with the blunt side down while she was talking.

 

Petersen's thoughts were racing. That crazy fury would kill him as soon as she had what she wanted. Somehow he had to convince her that he was more valuable to her alive.....

 

The cold metal pressed harder against his neck. She would just have to turn the handle a little bit, and the blade would cut him into the flesh...

"Don't think about how to screw me over," she hissed. "Where's your money, I won't ask you again!"

 

"In the safe! Bottom of that big closet! But it is voice controlled, only I can open it," the doctor quickly exclaimed as the scalpel already began to cut into his flesh.

 

 

Vixen sighed theatrically. Ah crap... She'd rather have a safe with a fingerprint or an iris scan. Then she would have just stabbed the guy and dragged his body to the closet. Or just the part of his body in question. Once again she threateningly increased the pressure on his wrist before she got up in a smooth movement.

 

 

Petersen arose tremblingly and rubbed his hand while he kept a close eye on her. He had really been fooled by her scraggy appearance. That wasn't a street kid, that was a predator.

 

"C' mon now. I don't have all day." Vixen pointed to the wardrobe with the scalpel in her hand and the doctor hurried up and stumbled over to the wardrobe.

 

He had not lied, there was indeed a safe in the cupboard, to which he bent down and pressed the recording button.

"Einstein." he croaked.

"Voice sample not recognized." echoed the monotonous computer voice of the safe.

Petersen cast a fearful gaze over his shoulder to Vixen, who teetered her foot with displayed impatience. He quickly cleared his throat and tried again with caught voice.

„Einstein!“

This time a small diode on the safe glowed green.

"Voice sample recognized."

The mechanism had just unlocked when Petersen opened the safes door. His hand was already on the handle of the gun, which he kept in it when his head was brutally torn back at his hair.

 

"Nice try."

 

The scalpel cut through flesh and muscles without any effort as she pulled the blade over his throat. She shoved him to the ground, carelessly stepping over the still twitching body without being bothered by the gurgling noises the doctor made in the agony of death. The scalpel was dropped unmindfully to the ground and she wiped her bloodied hand on her pants while squatting down to look at the contents of the safe.

 

The pistol was a treat, but now, with her new abilities, the rest of the safe was even more interesting for her. She indeed found some bundles of credits and stacks of data pads. Most of it she carelessly threw aside. She couldn't even write her own name, what was she going to do with all the words? But in between, she noticed some illustrated instructions. Not excessively meaningful and the accompanying explanatory texts couldn't make any sense to her again, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to play around with them.

 

She grabbed what she could use from the safe and just wanted to look for valuables in the rest of the lab when something caught her attention.

 

"You little fucker are still alive..."

Vixen strolled unhurriedly over to Andrei who squirmed on the floor, moaning slightly in pain. Coming closer, she pulled her face disgusted and took care not to step into the spreading puddle in which he lay. He had wet himself, how pathetic...

 

Vixen squatted next to his head and looked at the assistant with a thought sunken expression. Cutting his throat like his boss would of course be the easiest and most obvious way to finish him off. But for that she would have to get up again and go for a scalpel....

 

Once again test her biotic powers and crush him definitively on the wall?

No. She noticed that the use of these abilities exhausted her, and it seemed like a waste of her newly gained power to squander it on an adult man who pissed himself like an infant.

 

She also didn't wanted to use the pistol she had pushed into her trouser waistband. Shots were widely heard and she wanted to be able to sift through the laboratory in peace and quiet to find usable material.

 

So the only thing left was... She put her hands around Andrej's neck and started squeezing. The scientist wriggled in an attempt to free himself, but his resistance could hardly be taken seriously. Vixen calmly watched his face turn blue and his movements fade away until he finally ended up completely silent.

 

Granted, a strangled dead man wasn't a pretty sight, his face turned blue and bloated, his tongue hanging out of his mouth like a fat maggot, his eyes wide open... But Vixen loved this feeling of power when she squeezed someone's life out of his body. It was so much more... personal killing someone this way than just shooting or stabbing him.

 

And that look when her prey realized that she would be the last thing they ever saw.

 

Vixen sighed with pleasure. In those moments, she was God to her victims and it was an intoxicating feeling.

 

She remained seated for a few moments and enjoyed the euphoric atmosphere before she got up again and began to rummage through the rest of the lab.

 

Vixen had the feeling that her life had taken a new turn and the implant in her neck seemed to be humming, as if it was just as eager as she to use this newly acquired power to finally leave this shithole that her previous life had been.


End file.
